Oral mal odors may be broadly separated into two very distinct categories. The first category may be defined as temporary mal odors, which result from a variety of causes. Thus, the ingestion of certain foods, such as highly spiced foods, onion, garlic, excessive alcohol and smoking, and the like, may cause temporary mal odors. In addition, digestive upsets and temporary infections and diseases may cause temporary mal odors.
The second category of mal odors may be defined as chronic mal odors. These mal odors, normally, occur only in the adult population and do not result from transitory causes but result from chronic causes. The exact causes of chronic oral mal odors are not known. They normally occur only in mature adults (25 years of age or older) and are probably a result of specific imbalances in individual oral cavities. Generally speaking, however, chronic mal odors are thought to be caused by the generation of certain odoriferous compounds, among which are sulfides. It is widely believed that the production of these odoriferous compounds results from particular interaction between bacteria normally contained in the mouth and the plaque or calculus on the enamel of the teeth wherein odoriferous compounds, e.g., sulfides are generated. While in most humans, the interaction between the bacteria and the plaque or calculus is not sufficient to generate these odoriferous compounds, in case of chronic oral mal odors, the odoriferous compounds are liberated relatively continuously, presumably by virtue of specific imbalances and bacterial interaction in individual oral cavities. Vigorous brushing and the use of conventional oral rinses are not effective, since the bacterial population is reduced for only a short period of time, and thereafter the odoriferous interaction again commences.
Conventional oral rinses for controlling mal odors may be broadly divided into three categories, i.e., those containing masking agents, such as breath masking flavors, those containing bactericides, and those containing special active ingredients such as enzymes and chlorophyll. These conventional oral rinses, however, are effective for controlling mal odors for only the time period in which the active ingredients are physically in contact with the oral cavity. Unfortunately, that time period is relatively short, since natural salivation quickly washes the active ingredients from the oral cavity. Hence, conventional oral rinses are not effective for controlling chronic mal odors, since the short-lived effectiveness of these rinses requires most frequent treatment of the oral cavity.
A further and relatively new category of oral rinses may be described as fluoride rinses. They are not recognized as oral rinses for controlling mal odors, but, as more fully discussed hereinafter, have been used in dental caries prevention. While these rinses may contain flavors which to a limited degree act as a masking agent, they are not recognized as useful in controlling mal odors, beyond the known effect of the masking agent.
Accordingly, it would be of substantial benefit in the art to provide a method for control of oral mal odors which is suitable for use by those suffering from chronic mal odors and which would provide substantially continuous protection from such oral mal odors without the necessity of frequent treatment of the oral cavity to provide such control.